Why All The Love For 9v Batteries?

[mh9162013]

Thank you for your input, Geotech, It's nice to hear the perspective of an industry expert and insider.

I'm with you in that I don't like 9V batteries and built-in lithium batteries. I like the ability to replace batteries myself toward the end of their lives and lithium batteries tend to have relatively short lives in that their ability to provide higher performance is relatively short. I dislike built-in lithiums enough such that I don't buy commercial power banks. Instead, I made my own using AA eneloops and a voltage booster. Yes, I take a huge hit on size, weight and capacity, but I can easily replace the batteries when I feel like it. It also allows me to keep it fully charged 24/7 without worrying that I'm degrading the batteries (as is the case with lithiums).

I'm willing to "accept" the built-in batteries (as opposed to 9V batteries) because I know it's the future and I see a manufacturer's logic in building power system that way (more flexibility during engineering and a future money making opportunity). But I share your concern about what happens when the battery goes bad for the average user who isn't equipped (whether in skills, tools or knowledge) to fix the problem on his or her own. And even when they are, there's the warranty voiding becoming an issue. At least with the Equinox, users can get by (at least in theory) with an external USB power bank when the internal battery starts to degrade (I know phrunt already mentioned this).

Out of curiosity Geotech, why was management so shy about leaving the 9V power ecosystem? Was it an issue of management and ownership being that stubborn? Or are the advantages of moving to AA or built-in lithiums less clear than one might think? It wouldn't surprise me if it's the former. I used to work in an industry that did things very inefficiently because that's how they always did it, even when it resulted in significant lost income.

[mh9162013]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

That's what's inside the Minelab GPX detector battery housing, it is the right path as long as they make it affordable, the batteries themselves aren't expensive but the way Minelab have packaged them is. They didn't make them user replaceable for most people in a way that they can get an extreme profit off someone needing a replacement battery and one bad cell is all it takes for your entire battery to crap out even if it's got 8 cells in it then Minelab expect you to buy a whole new battery which includes an amplifier in it also.

Yours seems a common opinion on 9v batteries and I guess the manufacturer doesn't have to care about people using cheap batteries that leak all through their pinpointer as it's not a warranty claim anyway and they'll just buy a new one as they're well aware it's their own fault ?

I'm the odd one out that likes 9v ?

 

I agree that going to 8AA cells is pretty extreme and almost as bad as using a 9V battery. 

[Geotech]

3 hours ago, phrunt said:

Yours seems a common opinion on 9v batteries and I guess the manufacturer doesn't have to care about people using cheap batteries that leak all through their pinpointer as it's not a warranty claim anyway and they'll just buy a new one as they're well aware it's their own fault ?

Most brand-name batteries have a leak warranty, they will repair/replace a device damaged by leaky batteries.

[Geotech]

1 hour ago, mh9162013 said:

And even when they are, there's the warranty voiding becoming an issue.

In the US, the Moss-Magnuson Act allows the end-user to do their own repairs, and forbids the manufacturer from voiding the warranty when they do. The exception is if the manufacturer offers to do the repair for free. In fact, the "warraty void if seal is broken" label is technically illegal under the MM Act.

Quote

Out of curiosity Geotech, why was management so shy about leaving the 9V power ecosystem? Was it an issue of management and ownership being that stubborn?

Yes, it was simply a case of "do what they did."

[mh9162013]

4 minutes ago, Geotech said:

In the US, the Moss-Magnuson Act allows the end-user to do their own repairs, and forbids the manufacturer from voiding the warranty when they do. The exception is if the manufacturer offers to do the repair for free. In fact, the "warraty void if seal is broken" label is technically illegal under the MM Act.

Yes, it was simply a case of "do what they did."

 

That's a big exception, especially when the self-fix is easy and warranty repairs take a long time to complete (I know, you're just the messenger).